Somewhere With You
by kennedymommy3
Summary: Edward left Bella in the woods in New Moon for Jacob to piece back together. Jacob thinks he's getting what he's always desired only to be betrayed by the one person he trusted most. After years of soul searching, Jacob returns home- but to what, exactly?
1. Prologue

**August 26, 2006**

I made my way to the tree line, my body trembling as the wolf inside tried to break free.

"Jake, stop," she called after me, but I couldn't bring myself to turn back.

She had broken my heart, and this time...this time there was no coming back from it. There wasn't anything she could say or anything she could do. There was never going to be a chance for Bella and I, and now I finally saw that. First, with the leech, and now, with my best friend.

Out of all people she could have run to she chose him, Embry.

I knew she needed me, but there were only so many times you could allow someone to deliver a low blow before you crumbled. This was me crumbling. This was me falling to pieces without hurting her in return.

Well, not as much as she had hurt me. She would hurt, and she would cry, but she would never know a fraction of the pain she had caused me. I broke for Bella every damn time she needed something. It was all or nothing for her.

Now, I was choosing nothing. She could let Embry save her. I just hoped he could save her from herself.

I hit the tree line and phased, allowing the wolf to take over, still aware of Bella running after me, pleading with me to come back to her. I stretched my limbs, reveling in the feel of the beast. Leaning back on my hind legs, I let out a deep howl. It was deafening and never-ending, but howling was the only way I could release some of the hurt, a tiny fissure of pain inflicted on me by the only girl I had ever loved.

There was a small part inside me that wanted to run to her and take the emotional beating she dished unknowingly, but a greater part, the wolf, wouldn't let me go to her. Bella was my past, and that's exactly where she would stay.


	2. Somewhere In The Woods

**A/N: So, CereuleanBlue is the beta. She makes me look good. ImaginaryHeart and luvinj are the pre-readers. They make me look better to my beta and help get my shit straight. Thanks for all the reviews so far, you people really make me feel cool. Soo...oh, I don't own the characters or the wolfy stuff. I just like to play make believe with them. :) Happy reading! **

_Hey where did we go,  
Days when the rains came  
Down in the hollow,  
Playin' a new game,  
Laughing and a running hey, hey  
Skipping and a jumping  
In the misty morning fog with  
Our hearts a thumpin' and you  
My brown eyed girl,  
You my brown eyed girl._

_-Van Morrison; Brown Eyed Girl-_

**Chapter 1**

**April 15, 2006**

Another Saturday.

Another day to go to Sam's and get my patrols done for the day. It wasn't anything that I wasn't used to. Go to Sam's. Do patrol. Go back to Sam's. Hang out with Bella. It's always the same thing.

The only thing that I looked forward to was spending time with Bella in the afternoons. Her bravery was becoming more and more pronounced, with her wanting to cliff dive with the guys, and ride the bikes as if we were in a high speed getaway.

I rolled over and looked at the clock. Seven-thirty. Great. There hadn't been any bloodsuckers around lately so it wasn't really necessary to do patrol during the day. We did a quick sweep periodically, but really, we just sat around Sam's house eating and goofing off.

It was like being in hell in a way. We were always on call; we never really got to have our own lives outside of protecting the pack, but the afternoon, when the sun was beginning to lower and kiss the edge of the cliffs, was the best part of my day. That was when I was Jake, and she was Bells. We were two goofy teenagers without all of the supernatural weighing us down. It's taken her a while to get over _him, _but she's doing rather well. Well, to a point.

There are times when little things give her away, like when the sun sets below the horizon and the sky dances in fiery shades of reds, oranges, and yellows, causing the sky to become ablaze.

Or when she's listening to certain classics like Debussy. It only seems fitting in reality, seeing as he's from an olden era as well.

It's not just the look on her face, because that gives her away too; it's how she cradles herself like she may fall apart at any moment, or how she'll faintly trail a finger over the crescent scar on the inside of her wrist.

I know where her mind wanders; even after all these months, it's obvious, but the moments are fleeting and have lessened in their occurrence.

I only hope that one day, she'll be able to let go of him completely and come to feel even remotely close to how I feel about her. However for the time being, I would take anything I could get out of her.

I rose from the sheets, stretching my arms above my head, and yawning wide as I rolled my head from side to side. I could smell bacon and coffee wafting towards me from the kitchen. Dad was always up before I was, cooking breakfast for me. He knew how big a wolf's appetite could be; I just wish he'd let me do it on my own sometimes.

It's not that I didn't appreciate it; I just wished he'd understand that I was capable and willing to make my own food. I knew how much it took out of him, and I didn't need him to get himself overworked on my behalf.

I turned and planted my feet on the cold bare floor, before rising off the bed and grabbing a pair of shorts to put on. I'm sure my father wouldn't be too thrilled if I walked around the house in nothing at all.

Walking to my door, I kicked some clothes out of the way, and decided I'd better do some laundry soon. As many times as I've ripped through my shorts and shoes, I'm lucky to have anything left to wash at all.

When I got to the kitchen, my dad turned and smiled at me. "Well look what the wolf drug in. Hungry son? I was just about to flip some pancakes into the pan."

"Sure Dad, that sounds great, but I can do it." I told him as I ran a hand through my hair. I still wasn't used to it being so short. In fact, I wasn't sure if I ever would be.

"Oh, it's no problem; you do a lot for me. Let the old man do something every once in a while for you, would ya?" He rolled over to the fridge and started taking out the necessary things to finish making our breakfast. I sat myself down in a chair across from where he would soon sit and watched him as he cracked the eggs and added the oil.

"So, what are you planning on doing today? Gonna see Bella?" he asked as he began mixing his concoction.

"Yeah, Dad. I see her everyday. Why wouldn't I?" I covered my mouth as I yawned.

"I don't know. I was just wondering. How's she been doing lately? Still broken up over what's his face?" Dad never called the leeches by their names. I suppose he hated them as much as I did.

"She's doing okay. She's getting better really; it just takes time, I guess. I don't see why, but she's coping as best she can. Each day seems to get a little better for her. Hey, I'm gonna go wash up real quick and get dressed. I'm supposed to be at Sam's by eight-thirty." I rose from the table before he could comment and made my way down the short hallway to the restroom.

After showering and brushing my teeth, I got dressed and went back to the kitchen. When I got in there, I was surprised to see Bella sitting in the seat I had previously occupied. When she heard me enter the room, she turned and flashed me the brightest smile I had seen yet. The light in her eyes was more pronounced than it had been yesterday.

"Hey Bells, what's got you so smiley faced today? And this early? Must mean one thing." I sat down at the head of the table, next to both her and Billy.

"Oh yeah, Jake? What's that?" she asked as she nudged me with her shoulder.

"You've realized I'm the best looking guy in the world and you've come to grovel for me to pick you instead of all of the other girls beating my door down." I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms behind my head. It crossed my mind that there was one thing that would put the light back in her eyes, but I tried to joke away the worry of _them_ returning or contacting her.

"You're so full of yourself." She laughed and shook her head.

"Says the one who's always hugging herself because she's so in love with herself." I popped a slice of bacon in my mouth and chuckled. That is, until I realized she had grown silent. I looked up to see her doing it again. She was holding herself and I saw the light that had earlier been so bright, now dimming and wandering towards darkness.

I placed my hand on her arm, and tried to find the words to apologize. "I'm sorry Bells, I was just joking. I didn't mean-"

She pulled away and whispered, "It's okay."

The three of us ate in strained silence. When the food was gone, Bella stood and began to grab the plates, offering to wash them in return for her meal. When she reached for my plate, I placed my hand on top of hers and told her it wasn't necessary.

"It's no problem, really. It'll just take a minute." She moved around me and grabbed the rest of the dishes of the table, almost rushing to the sink with her arms full.

"Well, in that case, I'll help. Dad cooked, so I guess it's only fair we both wash the dishes." I stood next to her and handed her the soap, stopping her from looking around for it as if she didn't know it was always in the window sill.

"Well, in that case, I'm going to leave you two kids alone and watch some TV before Charlie gets here. We're supposed to go out on the lake today; sure hope this weather stays decent." With that, he rolled himself into the living room and turned the volume up until he was sure not to hear any of our conversation.

Bella ran the water while I grabbed a towel from the drawer next to the stove. I waited for her to start placing dishes in the sink before I tried apologizing once again.

"Hey Bells, I'm really sorry about earlier. I know that you don't want to talk about it, but I really didn't mean anything by it. I just thought maybe...I don't know what I thought. I just don't want you to be upset about it, okay?" I grabbed a plate and began rinsing it.

"It's no problem, Jake, really. I should get over it already; they're not coming back, right?" She placed a fork in my side of the sink.

"I don't know if they will, Bella, but do you really think your blo- your _dude_ would want you to sit around and wait for a day when _maybe _ they'd decide to want you again? I don't know the guy, but I'm sure no one would want that for you." I continued to rinse the dishes she placed in the sink as she stared straight ahead out of the window.

"Yeah, you're probably right," was all she said, and we continued washing and rinsing and drying in a comfortable silence. Once we were done, I hung the towel on the handle of the stove and leaned next to her on the counter.

"So, you never told me why you really were so happy this morning. What's up?" I crossed my arms over my chest and nudged her lightly with my elbow.

"Huh? Oh yeah." She smiled up at me, just as she had when I entered the kitchen earlier. I would never tire of seeing that smile. It was what I lived for. "When I got home yesterday I had some mail. I got a letter. I would have come down here last night to tell you, but I figured you were tired of seeing me."

"You know that isn't true. I could never get tired of seeing you, Bella." I spoke with a new found softness in my voice.

She was silent for a second, before scooting away, and coming to stand directly in front of me. "I got accepted, Jake. I'm going to college!" She smiled so big and true, and I had to squash the part of me that wanted her to stay with me. I knew she would one day leave here, but I never thought that it would be right after high school. I thought maybe she would at least stick around for a little while and maybe take a year off.

"What's wrong, Jake?" She placed a hand on my forearm, her eyebrows scrunching together. "This is good news, why do you look like you're choking on a chunk of meat?"

_Did I really look that bad? I really needed to learn to control my facial expressions._

"What, no. That's great Bella." I lied. "I'm so proud of you. Where are you going?" I was proud, but disappointed in myself for wanting her to stay here. There was nothing in this town for her. I didn't know what was wrong with me to even contemplate her staying here. Bella deserved so much more than this town had to offer and who was I to hold her back?

_Just some lovesick boy who wanted to hold onto the only girl he'd ever had eyes for. _

I plastered the biggest smile on my face I could muster, the closest I could get to _her_ smile - the one solely reserved for this amazing girl.

"Thanks, I was beginning to think you weren't happy about it." She looked somewhat skeptical. "I wanted you to know before anyone else, I haven't even told Charlie yet." Her enthusiasm was quickly returning.

"Well, I feel special! Thanks, just hurry and tell him, okay. I don't want him to get his feelings hurt because I rank higher than him on the special announcement news flash." I tousled her hair, causing her to laugh and swat at my hand.

"I will. I will. Hey, I have to run, I have to get to work, I just couldn't wait to tell you the news. Oh, and I'm going to the University of Washington, the Seattle Campus. It's the only one around here who offers a decent Comparative Literature program." There it was, the brilliance shining forth in her eyes once again. There was hope for her to forget the bloodsuckers yet.

I chortled. "That's my Bells, always got your head stuck in a book. Why would I think you would even contemplate picking a major that didn't include that?"

"Jacob Black. I'll have you know I can do stuff besides read." She feigned a look of surprise as she placed her small frail hands on her hips.

"Oh yeah, like what?" I choked back a laugh.

"Like...well I can do this." And she reached up and twisted my pec muscle, not anywhere close to her intended target.

"Bells, if you're going to try to hurt me, you had better at least get your aim right. You were way off." I rubbed the spot she pinched up by my collar bone.

"Did I hurt you?" Her face held a look of concern.

"Uhh..yeah. Ow." I said, my tone lacking the conviction of my words. She rolled her eyes, and swatted at the hand that was still busily rubbing my _pained_ chest.

"Knock it off,I know it doesn't hurt. Werewolf powers, remember? Or did you forget you possessed some unnatural abilities to withstand pain inflicted by some fragile little girl?"

"I didn't forget; I just figured I'd put on a good show for you. What? Are my acting skills lacking? You mean I won't be able to live out my life long dreams of making it big in Hollywood?" I began to pout as if the idea was truly crushing.

"I'm sad to say this Mr. Black, but don't quit your day job. Your skills of acting are as good as my skills of inflicting pain on you." She crossed her arms over her chest, and I pulled her into a hug.

"You've mastered that skill better than anyone, Bells. It just doesn't involve physical pain," I whispered into her hair, hoping she hadn't heard me.

But she had, and she wrapped her arms around me, squeezing me with all her might around my midsection. I held on like someone lost at sea clinging to a buoy.

She pulled away, and pushed her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. "So umm, we still on for this afternoon? I have to be home in time to cook for Charlie, but I get off at two. Dad won't be home til around seven." She toed the gash in the wood beneath her feet.

"Sure, I should be done at Sam's by then. I'm probably just going to hang out in the garage and realign the drive shaft for Mr. Ateara. Drop by whenever you want." She reached up on her tip-toes and gave me a light peck on the cheek before turning to leave.

"Bye Jake, I'll see you after work." She waved, then she was gone.

"Bye Bella," I said to the empty room.

I heard her truck start, and took off out of the back door, but not before telling my dad where I was headed and that I'd see him when I came back.

As soon as I hit the trees, I quickly shed my clothes, making sure to tie them to my ankle, and phased. It still took some getting used to, but becoming a wolf was incredibly freeing. It was becoming easier and easier to phase without thought, and more so to phase back to my human form. Bella had been very understanding of what I was after her initial shock. She had been worried why I hadn't been around, but once she was able to guess what I was trying to tell her, she opened up to the idea quickly. _It's not like she wouldn't understand. She dated a freakin' bloodsucker for Christ's sake!_

The red head hadn't been around lately, just the few times around the time I had phased, but not for nearly six weeks. There had been a couple of instances where we'd get a trail on a leech, but it wasn't the redhead. We figured they were probably just passing through.

As soon as I felt my front paws hit the earth, I could hear Embry and Paul arguing over some girl they had both spotted earlier in the week.

_I'm telling you dude, she was looking at me. _

_Yeah right, Paul. She was only staring at the big ass booger hanging out of your nose._

_I didn't have a booger. You're just jealous that she wanted me and not you. _

_Sure dude, whatever you say. She probably just felt bad for you and wanted to make you feel good seeing as you wouldn't be getting any girls' numbers with that big glob on your face._

I could tell they were running patrols already, both of them playing back what they thought had transpired between the girl in question and them.

_Oh, hey Jake. What's up? _Embry asked, quickly jumbling his thoughts. I caught a glimpse of something familiar in them, but was quickly bombarded with images of the Looney Tunes re-runs.

_Not much, just heading to Sam's. You two got first patrol? _I headed towards Sam's house at a leisurely pace. I wasn't in a hurry to sit around all day and wait for something to come up, so I figured I'd take my time getting there.

_Yep, this one just had to volunteer us to go first today. _I watched through their minds as Paul's right paw came up to swipe at Embry's ear, but he dodged it just in time.

_Hey asshole, keep your mangy paws to yourself. There's no telling where they've been. _Embry took a swipe back at him and missed.

_Who you calling mangy, mut? Last time I checked you're the one who had your paws all over that Mallory girl from Forks._ I knew this wasn't heading anywhere good, so I picked up my pace a little so I could make it to Sam's house before I needed to intercede. They began rolling around on the forest floor, leaves sticking to their fur every now and then.

I reached the edge of the forest lining Sam's backyard, and just as I was about to phase back, I caught a faint smell through their thoughts. Embry and Paul quickly stopped wrestling and stuck their noses to the ground.

_You smell that? Smells like the red head. _Paul asked before following the scent around some trees and off the path.

_Yeah, but I'm catching something else entirely. Still leech, but not her. _Embry kept on the path that we had worn into the earth. I wasn't sure what I should do - go meet up with them, or go in and let Sam know first. I did the next best thing I could imagine and pointed my nose to the sky, releasing a long, deep howl.

_I'm on my way, just as soon as Sam and Jared get out here. _I watched as Sam ran out the back door, and raced over to the tree line where I stood, Jared hot on his heels.

As soon as they phased, I could hear their thoughts running a mile a minute.

_What is it? Is it her? _Sam questioned. We started running to where Paul and Embry were tracing the scents full force.

_I've got her scent over here. _Paul thought.

_I've got something totally different on this side. They were together then split up. _Embry interjected, still keeping his nose to the ground like a hound dog.

_You know, you don't have to sniff the ground, you can smell it in the air around you, dip shit. _Jared thought to Embry.

_I know that assface, but it's easier this way. The scent is stronger on the earth than it is in the air. _Embry thought back.

_Jacob, you go with Paul and track the red head. Jared and I will join up with Embry and go after the new scent. Are you sure we've never come across it before? _Sam thought to Embry, and I could see his mind whirling at possibilities as if it were familiar to him.

_Sam, do you know this scent? _I questioned, replaying what I had just seen in his head.

_No, Jacob, I don't. Embry, stay where you are. Jared and I will be there in a second to help you. _The tenor of his thoughts told me otherwise. He knew this scent. And why would Embry have to stay where he was? We always just caught up to each other when we got something. We never had to wait for backup.

Something didn't seem right here. Sam's thoughts were all over the place, and that almost _never _happened. I caught up to Paul and we took off in the direction the red head had gone.

_The trail seems a few hours old. _Paul stopped in a small clearing. He stuck his nose in the air and sucked in a deep whiff.

_Nothing. I can't get a hint of it anymore._ He was running around the clearing, trying to pick up the scent once again, but couldn't seem to find it.

I looked to the sky and noticed that the clouds were a slate gray and rolling across quickly. It would start raining soon, and any hope we had at finding the scent would be gone. We didn't have much time if we were going to locate her, and that thought pissed me off. What pissed me off more than anything was that we knew exactly what she was after, and it still seemed impossible to catch her.

There was no way I would let her get close to Bella. I'd give my life before I let that happen. At the thought of Bella, I noticed an image flicker through someone else's mind. It was a fleeting image, but still a clear picture.

_What was that, Em? _I growled.

_What? Nothing. What are you talking about, Jake? _He seemed almost nervous, but tried to play it off with nonchalance.

_Embry, why are you thinking about Bella? _I thought I had caught a trace of her in his mind earlier, I just hadn't been sure, but now, it was clear to me. He had been thinking of her and tried to cover his thoughts so I couldn't tell.

_I wasn't thinking about her per se, more like that we need to make sure she's okay. If they're after her, and we know for a fact that the red head is, then we need to send someone to check on her. The red head's scent disappears, so could it be that she took to the trees or covered her tracks somehow? If we can't find her here, the next best thing is to make sure that Bella is safe, wouldn't you agree? _

He had a point. I had thought maybe he was thinking of Bella in a different sense, but it must have been everything going on in my head. With having to deal with these leeches and Bella bombarding me with her leaving for school, it was understandable that my thoughts might wander.

_Bella's leaving for school? Wow. Where's she going? _Embry asked.

_University of Washington at Seattle. Hey, shouldn't you be thinking more about the scent you're tracking and less about where Bella's going to school? _Just as I asked him that, his thoughts faded out.

_Whoa, where'd he go? _Jared piped in.

_Dammit, I told him to wait for us. Jacob, Paul, make a quick circuit around the entire area, we may have some it up. _Sam bolted forward with Jared quick on his heels. Paul and I looked at each other before sprinting off in separate directions.

_I'll go east and loop around to the north. Let's meet up over where Embry faded out at, try to keep it tight. _Paul's head nodded as he took off west, straight towards where Embry had gone.

I ran east, not picking up anything but the rich, dense smell of earth and trees. The thunder was clapping loudly overhead, and small drops of water began to sprinkle across my coat.

Just as I turned to head north, I saw Embry through Jared's mind right before he faded out as well.

_Jake, if you catch the scent, follow it, but hang back a ways. This is worse than I thought. Paul stay-_

Then Sam was gone too.

_Dude, what the fuck is going on here? Why are they phasing back all of a sudden? _Paul's thoughts held a tinge of panic in them.

_I don't know dude, but just stay clear of them until we figure out what's going on. Finish the sweep and see if you can find anything on the other side of them. _I did a quick run, only going about one click out from where I was, trying my best to steer clear of where the others were located. Once I determined the area was clear of any fresh trails, I headed straight towards Forks.

I had to check on Bella and make sure she wasn't in danger.

I ran through the forest, branches and twigs crumbling under my weight as I pushed off the ground with all my might. The rain mixed with the leaves and dirt, causing muck to splash up onto my fur with every step I took.

I didn't want to have to go all the way inside Newton's because I would be covered in mud and brush from the forest floor. If I could just catch a glimpse of her from the tree line, I'd know she was okay, but there were no woods in downtown Forks. I had no choice but to phase back and make the trek through town.

I ran until I was as far as I could go as a wolf, stopping in someone's backyard a few blocks from where Bella worked. It was quiet, and I hoped to anyone who would listen that the owners of the yard I was in would be anywhere but home at the moment.

It was beginning to pour down when I quickly phased and dressed. My clothes were soaked, but it wasn't anything I couldn't deal with. I was 'one with nature' as Dad liked to put it sometimes.

I hopped the fence and ducked behind some shrubs on my way towards the road. With my stealth ninja like skills, or werewolf rather, I crept around the house until I was standing on the side walk out front.

"Hey. Hey you, what were you doing in my backyard?" A nasal voice came from the porch. I didn't turn to look at the woman because I didn't want her to be able to tell Charlie who it was. There was no doubt in my mind she'd be calling him about this, but I had bigger things to worry about.

Like keeping his daughter alive.

Walking briskly, I made my way down the few blocks it took to get to Newton's Sporting Goods. I hung my head to keep the rain out of my eyes, letting it beat down on my back instead. I'd begun to rethink coming into town with this kind of weather, but as I walked up to the store and noticed Bella through the window, all of the second guessing was forgotten.

She stood next to the register with her chin resting in her palm, looking rather bored. I smiled to myself thinking that with everything that was wrong in this world, this was the one thing that was right. Bella was safe and she was here. After the morning we had just had, this part was okay. This part was untouched by any supernatural thing fate could throw at us.

I leaned up against the glass, placing my hand against it like some love sick puppy.

_That's exactly what you are. _

I was. I could admit that. I was a sixteen year old, over grown werewolf in love with his best friend who happened to be heart broken over a one hundred and something year old vampire. That was easy enough to admit, to myself anyway.

I backed away from the glass when I heard a howl rip through the darkened sky. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bella rise from her inattentive state at the check out counter.

Before she could come around the corner of the counter, I was headed back in the direction I had come from earlier. I ran down the road, trying not to hit any huge puddles on the way. Not that it mattered since I was already completely soaked to the bone, but there was something about stepping in a puddle that made your day that much worse.

Once I hopped the fence and made the tree line, being watched by nosy Mrs. Houchin the entire way, I stripped of my clothing for the second time today and tied them to my ankle as fast as I could. There was only one reason they let out a howl such as this one, and it's wasn't to announce the arrival of the president.

I let the wolf take over, feeling my muscles stretch and twist until I was landing on all fours, twisting my neck to get the kinks out. The only one I could hear in my mind was Paul, which didn't cause me to let go of the slight panic I was clinging to.

_Hey Paul, what is it? _ I asked, heading back towards La Push.

_Dude, this is some weird shit. Sam wants us to get to his house as soon as we run a sweep around the rez and town. He says whatever it is out here, isn't like the ordinary vamps we've seen before. _

_Okay. I'll meet you back at Sam's. How far out do we need to go?_ I started running north, hoping to loop around town and back to Sam's by the time Paul had gotten around the rez and the south side of town.

_Only go out two clicks; he says keep it close in case there's any surprises out there, and whatever you do, if you come across the scent we found earlier, don't follow it. Just wait for the rest of us.  
_

I ran as fast and hard as I could, trying to hurry and get back to the rez to figure out what was going on. If this was something new, I wanted to know everything I possibly could about it.

I didn't come across the scent again, so I made my way back to Sam's. Once I hit the forest, I quickly phased and pulled on my cutoffs. The rain had let up some, only remaining as a light drizzle.

Embry met me at the back door, a look of concern etched across his face.

"How is she?" he asked.

"How's who?" I countered, while passing him to go in the house. He followed me inside, closing the door behind us.

"Bella. I know that's where you went after we all phased back. Dude, that shit was so weird, it was like..like we couldn't help it." We both made our way to the small table in the kitchen where Sam, Paul, and Jared were already seated. Emily stood by the refrigerator with a jug of lemonade in her hands.

"She's fine. I didn't go into Newton's but I watched her through the window. There wasn't a scent to catch in Forks, at least not on the route I took, but we can never be too sure. That red head has a way of disappearing and reappearing without notice."

"Dude, she just vanished. Her scent was no where to be found, like water slipping through our fingers." Paul added.

"Yeah, but that other one that was with her, what the fuck is up with that? It was like I had no control over myself. I tried to stay all wolfed out and shit, but I couldn't." Jared looked up from his glass. There was a look there in his eyes that wasn't something I was used to seeing in the pack. It looked like... fear.

Sam sat quietly with a look of concentration on his face. The rest of them rambled on with their theories of what was out there, but he never said a word. I watched him from across the table, noting how his eyes never left the gash in the table top, but they seemed very distant, almost like he wasn't there with us.

"Maybe it's some crazy zombie-like vampire that doesn't feed on humans but only on supernatural beings that are only in a human form." Jared shared his thoughts.

"You watch way too many horror movies, man. You do realize they all could be considered zombies in a way, right? I mean, they're all undead, but they're more like those people from _28 Weeks Later_, with that super speed stuff. I'm just glad we're wolves, otherwise I might actually be scared of them." Paul added his thoughts as well.

"Enough." Sam finally spoke, silencing the rest of us.

"Glad to see you rejoined us, I was starting to think you were in some time warp continuum or something."

"Jared, you really watch too many damn movies, dude." Embry chuckled.

"I'm not sure what that was out there, but I think I need to talk to the elders. Just to be on the safe side, no one is going on patrol alone anymore. We'll stay together, at least two on each circuit. Stick close though. Quil should be joining us soon, so it shouldn't bog us down too much. Until then, we'll all be patrolling together, four times a day. We can't let whatever this is get past our lines." Everyone was quiet after Sam spoke. I'm not sure if they saw the look in his eyes like I did. There was that same look that I had seen in Jared's earlier. Sam was scared, but of what, I didn't know.

After we ate the platter of sandwiches and the two peach cobblers that Emily had made for us, I headed back to my house to start working on the car for Mr. Ateara. The rain had stopped and the sun was trying to peek through the never ending grey clouds that hovered over the town.

Bella showed up shortly after I started, sloshing in the mud and dropping her boots at the door.

"Ugh, I hate the rain. It always seeps into my shoes and leaves my feet soaking wet," she complained as she sat down on the shabby couch across from where I was working.

I lifted my head from underneath the car, and watched her. She was taking off her wet socks and looking for somewhere to lay them.

"Over there on the work bench. You might want to wring some of the water out first, though. How was your day?" I asked as I laid back down and slid under the car once again.

"Oh, you know, same old thing as every day. Not many exciting stories of the local hunters and hikers. What about you?" The springs squeaked in the cushions as she sat back down.

"Not much, patrols like always. Lunch at Emily's. The usual."

"Did you come into town today? I thought I saw you outside of Newton's, but it was pouring down out there, so I wasn't too sure." I slid out from under the car and laid my wrench on the ground.

"Uh, yeah actually I did. I was just checking on you. You know, got to make sure you're not attracting some new species of supernatural or anything." I tried to laugh at my attempt of a joke, but after the day's events, I couldn't find it all that funny. If that thing out there was with the red headed leech, then Bella had definitely attracted a new species or at least something along those lines.

Bella didn't laugh; instead, she just smiled, ducking her head between her legs and hugging her knees.

The rest of the afternoon was rather uneventful. Bella left around nightfall, and I phased, following her home before taking on another round of patrols. This time it was me and Embry going one way, while Sam, Paul, and Jared went the other.

Sam's thoughts kept flickering between the scene of Embry and Jared in the forest this morning, the Elders, and him standing in a forest unphased without clothes. If he was trying to keep his thoughts completely hidden, he was doing a piss-poor job of it. There wasn't too much I could gather from them, but whatever was bothering him had to be something serious.

_It is, and you'd do best keeping your ass out of my head for the time being, Jacob. _

I didn't respond to him, or any of them after that. We finished out the patrol in relative silence, all of us thinking the morning over from our perspectives.

When we made it back to Sam's house, I pulled him to the side while the others went in to see what Emily had cooked up for us. I heard Paul grumbling about Caesar Salad and needing meat to keep up his physique.

"What is going on, Sam? I believe we have a right to know what the fuck is out there." I ground out through my teeth. He let out a heavy breath, raking his fingers through his shortly trimmed hair.

"Honestly, I have no clue. If I knew what was going on, believe me Jake, I would tell you. But right now, I'm not sure what it is. I think it's a vampire. That, I'm almost one hundred percent sure of, but this whole phasing thing... I don't know what's going on."

"I saw something in your head, Sam. What was that whole thing with you standing in the forest alone and naked? I know that wasn't the first time you phased. We've all seen that one before."

"I..I can't tell you anything until I talk to the Elders. Just give me 'til tomorrow. I've already called an emergency meeting with them. I'll fill you all in as soon as I'm done talking to them."

"That's bullshit, and you know it, Sam. If something is going on, then you need to let us all know now. I saw it in your eyes earlier. You're scared. What is there to be scared of that you can't tell us about?"

"Dammit, Jacob. Let. It. Go. Already." The timbre of the Alpha command laced his voice. A part of me, the wolf in me, reared back and fought to get loose.

The wolf in me didn't want to be suppressed. He lashed back and forth, riving to get out. I fought the tremors as best I could, before turning and running for the woods. My clothes were shreds of cloth, thrown haphazardly around the edge of Sam's yard. I knew I was meant to be the Alpha of the pack. After all, it was in my blood, but now was not the time to get into a confrontation over who had the biggest set of balls, so to speak.

I would let Sam have control, mainly because I didn't want it. I didn't want to have others' lives in my hands, and I didn't want that responsibility of making the decisions. It was hard enough to deal with the fact that I was an overgrown sixteen year old who was supposed to protect his people against the life sucking undead that roam the earth. I didn't need all of the other stuff too.

I ran until my muscles screamed for respite. I had made it almost to the Canadian border before I just stopped and headed back home. The wolf in me reveled in the opportunity to just run, to become one with Nature, herself. It was quiet in my head for once as I ran. I welcomed the time to just think about the past months since Bella had shown up here in Forks.

Things had been going well; they were at least normal. As normal as Forks and La Push could be. Then, the Cullens showed up. It didn't get weird right away, sure no one was really getting too close to them, and that, in and of itself, should have been red flags. Towns like this didn't get new people everyday, so when we did, they were like a novelty- a shiny new toy to play with. Most people were standoffish at best, completely avoiding them at worst. The doctor, I think he was the most normal out of them all. He seemed to genuinely care for humans, but I didn't understand that either. Every instinct he had should have had him ripping people apart for their blood, but it was the exact opposite with him, he was actually saving lives instead of taking them. It was strange to think that bloodsuckers were able to suppress who they really were. If only that could be done by all of them, maybe then we never would have changed...

Bella showed up and out of all the people they could have decided to let in to their little coven, they chose her. I'd had a crush on her for as long as I could remember, but I was usually overlooked for Rebecca and Rachel.

When she moved back to Forks with Charlie, I was hoping against everything that she could possibly see me as more than a friend, until the Cullens got their hands on her. I never realized how addicted she was to them until _he_ left her in the woods that day, but after seeing her so...catatonic, it was quickly becoming very apparent how bad her obsession with _him_ really was.

Mending her broken heart wasn't the easiest thing in the world, but I'd done it. To see her smile, or how her face lights up when she was with me, or the light blush that crept across her skin when I told a joke, those small moments made suppressing my feelings for a little while longer completely worth it.

Now that the bloodsucker was gone, and hopefully not returning anytime soon, maybe I would finally have my chance with Bella. There were times when she looked at me and was as if she were fighting an inner battle of sorts; moments when she seemed to want to say something, but quickly changed the subject or shook her head and blushed. She never said anything to lead me to believe that she would want to have anything more than a friendship with me, but the look in her eyes sometimes made me feel like she wasn't sure herself.

I made it back to the house, and was thankful for the complete and utter darkness that night so kindly bestowed upon us. My clothes were gone, so I had to sneak inside, hopefully undetected by any prying eyes of our distant neighbors. It was nice living semi-secluded from the rest of the reservation. Our house sat close enough to the treeline that high-tailing it inside was not a difficult feat. The closest neighbors we had were the Gordons, and they were at least three hundred feet away from our property line.

All of the lights were out when I entered the house, so I assumed that Dad was asleep. I crept through the kitchen, into the living room only to find him sitting in his wheel chair in the complete dark.

"Dad, what are you still doing up? It's got to be after midnight." I tried for modesty by covering my family jewels while looking at the clock on the wall. It was two forty-five in the morning. _Maybe I had ran for longer than I had planned? _

"Kinda late, don't you think?" was his reply.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I had some things on my mind and just felt like running to cool off. Didn't want to bring it home to you," I rambled as a passed him and headed for the shower.

"I heard all about it from Sam. Seems something weird happened today while you all were patrolling. Want to talk about it?" He began following me down the minuscule hallway.

"Not unless you want to tell me what Sam is keeping from us." I flipped on the light in the bathroom and began brushing my teeth. He sighed before turning and heading towards his bedroom. Once he reached the doorway, he turned and looked over his shoulder.

"Goodnight, Son. I'll see you in the morning. Pancakes and eggs?"

"Sure, Dad. Goodnight." I nodded and smiled at our methods of avoidance.

I showered and headed straight for bed afterward. The day had been too long and I didn't want to deal with it anymore. At least in my dreams, none of this mess existed, and that's exactly where I hoped to stay, even if just for a few hours.

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**A/N: Reviews are love :) -km3-**


	3. Somewhere In My Dreams

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, yall are awesome and make me feel like I am too. Happy reading.  
**

**Pre-readers: luvinj and imaginaryheartx**

**Beta: CereuleanBlue, although, she has left for a while, hopefully she'll come back to help me one day. :) Love all you ladies like Whoa. Wow, that was straight old right there. :) Anyway, on with it now:  
**

_I've got a funny feeling  
The moment that your lips touched mine  
Something shot right through me  
My heart skipped a beat in time_

_There's a different feel about you tonight  
It's got me thinkin' lots of crazy things  
I even think I saw a flash of light  
It felt like electricity _

_Toby Keith- You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This_

**April 16, 2006**

The day seemed to start just like every other day- boring, monotonous, and slow. I stumbled out of bed, not stopping to glance at the clock to see what time it was but noticing the way the sun filtered into my room.

It was bright, unlike most days around here. I stifled a yawn as I made my way into the bathroom to get cleaned up for the day. My mouth tasted bitter with sleep, and the muscles in my neck protested as I rolled my head from side to side.

While brushing my teeth, I could hear Dad conversing with someone down the hall. Once I had washed my face and was finished with the necessary grooming, I made my way to the kitchen to find my sister Rachel flipping pancakes at the stove while Dad sat with Rebecca at the table.

"Well, look what the cat drug in. Sleep well?" Dad glanced up at me from his chair.

"Like a baby. When did you two get in?" I yawned into my fist, while running my other hand through my hair. It was growing back quickly, already longer than it was the day before.

"Hi to you, too, little brother." Rachel turned around from the stove, quirking an eyebrow at me.

"Sorry, I just wasn't aware that you two would be coming to visit. What brought this on?" I walked over to stand beside Rachel, waiting for her to finish flipping the last pancake onto the plate in her hand.

"Here, can you hold this?" She handed me the plate that was piled high with deliciously scented pancakes. My mouth watered involuntarily at the sweet aroma wafting through the air.

Rachel grabbed a plate of bacon and a jug of orange juice as we made our way to the table and placed the plates in the middle. We talked about nothing of consequence as we ate, catching up on time that we had missed together.

Once breakfast was done, I helped Rebecca wash dishes while Rachel ran to the store to get a few items for dinner. They were making my favorite, spaghetti.

"So Bella Swan, huh?" Rebecca asked as I dried the plate she handed me and sat it to the side.

"Uh, yeah. I guess so." I ducked my head as I rinsed a mixing bowl. This was not a conversation I wanted to have with my sister.

"Aww, you have a crush. That's cute." She giggled, dropping a fork in my side of the sink..

I didn't respond to her statement. I was sixteen, I wasn't 'cute'; this wasn't some kiddie puppy love I felt for some random girl. This was Bella. I loved her. There was no question of my feelings for her. This, whatever this was I felt for her, it was real.

"She's a nice girl. A little stubborn at times, but she's sweet. I think she may could even do you some good, get you out of the garage some."

"She is, nice and stubborn and sweet. She's all those things, and so much more." I mumbled as I thought about how she had come to me with the motorcycles a few months back. She was a wreck. The light in her eyes was gone and she looked so...empty, like the life had been sucked right out her.

_Bad analogy, seeing as it very well could have been._

"Just don't hurt her, Jake. From what I hear, she's been through hell and back with her last boyfriend. Take it slow; if it's something that should be, it'll happen. Don't push too fast."

I breathed deep before turning the water off and draping the towel over my shoulder.

"I know, Becca. I don't need someone to tell me how to deal with her, okay? I'm the one that fixed her after that leech sucked the life out of her. If anyone knows not to push Bella, it's me." I glanced over at the clock. It was after nine. I needed to get to Sam's house for patrols before they came looking for me.

"Sorry, Little Brother. I was just trying to be supportive. Offer some advice, you know. I didn't mean to cause your tighty-whitey's to get in a bunch. You're good with analogies I see. Leech, huh? Next time you can call him a vampire or something. You know, like 'I 'vant to drink your blood'?" She walked over to the table to wipe it down. I caught my slip and thought quickly to cover it.

"Yeah, that's a good one. I'm sorry, it's just... look, I've got to go do some stuff, I'll be back later. I'm glad you're here." I kissed the top of her head on my way out of the kitchen.

I hollered at Dad that I would be back later before leaving out of the front door. With Rachel and Rebecca being here, it would be hard to come and go as easily as I was used to. There would more than likely be questions that we couldn't answer. That was just a thing to add to the list of reasons being a wolf wasn't much fun all the time. It did have its perks- the strength, the heightened senses- but the whole keeping secrets from important people in your life, not really having a life-those aspects made it suck.

I snuck around the side of the house, peeking in the kitchen window to make sure Rebecca wasn't looking towards the woods. That way, she wouldn't be scared shitless when a giant wolf took off running through the trees behind the house.

I stripped of my shorts and knelt to tie them to my ankle with the thin black string. I stood up and closed my eyes, pushing out with my mind and allowing the wolf from within to take over.

My limbs stretched and remolded themselves to their new form. It all felt so foreign, yet so natural.

_'Bout time you showed up. Hurry up, we're almost to Forks. _Jared thought to me. Embry began singing _The Star Spangled Banner_ in his head, but I caught the tail end of something familiar again.

_Hey Emb, what's with the patriotism all of a sudden? Hiding something? _I dug my paws into the earth and pushed forward, hoping to catch up before they got too far ahead.

_No, my mom was watching an old video of us from the Fourth of July when we were little. The damn song is stuck in my head. _

_Sure, whatever you say, dude. _

I could see Sam's thoughts of him and Emily wrapped in sheets from the previous night. He was trying not to think about it, but it was no use. It was already out there.

_What? Can't a man reminisce, or is that not allowed? _

_It's not nice to boast about getting ass when you know the rest of us aren't, dude. Not cool._ Embry thought.

I ran as fast as I could to catch up with them, enjoying the feel of the wind as it whipped through my fur. I wanted to make a quick run by Bella's house, just to make sure that she was fine.

_If you must, but hurry the hell up. We're all supposed to be doing this together, remember?_

_Sure thing, Sam. Speaking of all of us, where's Paul?_ I came around to a trail that was barely traveled behind her house. I could smell her scent, strawberries and lilac. It was strange to smell it this far away from her house. Surely, she hadn't gone wandering in the woods recently. Bella was smarter than that.

_He said he had to do something with his mom and couldn't patrol. _

I mentally shrugged it off, being okay with one less person in my head.

I followed Bella's scent around through the brush and trees before coming to a clearing. Bella stood in the center of the clearing looking lost and scared.

She was looking around frantically as if the boogie man himself would jump out and grab her at any moment.

_Guys, something's wrong here. I found Bella in the woods and she looks completely terrified. _

_We're on our way. Embry, you're closer to where he is right now, run around the area and see if you can find anything. _

_Will do. _Embry piped in.

_I'm gonna phase so I can talk to her and see what's going on. _

_Okay, Jake. Just be careful. _

_I will, Sam. _

I reigned in the calmness it took for me to phase back. There hadn't been any traces of vampires around when I came through here, so I wasn't worried about that, but something definitely had her scared.

After quickly pulling my shorts back on, I made my way out into the clearing towards Bella.

"Bella. What are you doing out here?" Her head snapped in my direction as she took off running to me.

"Jake, they said...but you...and then...oh my God, Jake. I was so scared. What the hell is going on? Why did Paul bring me out here?" She clung to me like a lifeline, her nails digging into my back.

"Slow down, Bella. You're not making sense- wait, wha...what do you mean Paul? He brought you out here, for what?" This was beyond weird. Why would he do such a thing?

"Sam called and said you were hurt, that you were in the woods behind my house and that Paul was coming to get me so I could be with you. What's happening?"

"I don't know. Sam called you?" I heard them before I ever saw them. The leaves crunched under their feet as they approached.

"Get away from her, Jacob." I turned around and faced Sam, keeping Bella tucked into my side all the while.

"What are you talking about, Sam? What's going on?" He walked towards me with Jared and Paul flanking him on either side, still in their wolf forms.

"Let her go, Jake. I really don't want to have to hurt you, but if you push us, then we will." I heard a twig break to my right, and found Embry standing at the treeline.

"Emb, what's going on? What are they talking about?" Bella curled in deeper to my side as I tightened my grip on her. Embry just stared at me, looking completely torn.

"You'd do good to listen, Jacob. Now, get. Away. From. Her." Sam's voice held the Alpha timbre he _'didn't like to use on us'_. The wolf in me reared back ready to show who the True Alpha was; there was no holding him in this time.

The wolf knew what was his, and who could tell him what to do. Sam Uley didn't have that right anymore. I had suppressed my wolf's need for dominance for too long. This was going to end. Now.

I loosened my grip on Bella and pushed her away.

"Bella get back."

"What? No, Jake. I'm scared. What are you doing?"

"Just get back, Bella. When I tell you to run, do it." I gave her a push, causing her to fall backwards on the ground.

"Get ready." I phased quickly, shredding my shorts again in the process. Embry stood stoic. He didn't move towards Bella or anything.

_What the hell are you guys doing?_

Nothing.

_Sam? Jared? Paul?_

Not a sound. No flicker of thoughts. Just silence. Complete and utter silence.

I was so lost in confusion that I didn't notice Paul charge at me. When I did, it was too late. He head butted my ribcage and sent me flying into a tree on the opposite side of the clearing.

I yelped in pain as my ribs cracked on my right side. I struggled to get up, but when I did I only saw red.

Jared was in his human form stalking towards Bella. I let out an ear splitting howl, causing her to look at me in fear. I nodded my head to the side, trying to signal to her to run. She glanced around before running head long towards where I was standing. I bolted towards Sam and Paul, fighting the searing pain in my side as I did so. I tackled Sam to the ground, pinning him by his front legs.

"Oh, Jake." Jared drew out my name. I glanced up to find him holding Bella by the arms.

"Jake!" Bella screamed. That was all it took. That little pause where you contemplate saving the girl, or fighting off the bad guy; that was all it took to have me pinned on my back by Paul and Sam. I fought as hard as I could to get free, but I couldn't. They had me down and out for the count, Paul dripping spittle on my face as he snarled at me.

I didn't care what they did to me, but I couldn't let them hurt Bella. I would do anything for her. Die for her if I must. I locked gazes with Bella just in time to see her mouth the words 'I love you' to me before Jared grabbed her head in his hands and twisted it, breaking her neck.

"NOOOOOO!" I screamed and tumbled to the floor in a ball of sheets, sweat beading on my forehead. My body felt cooler than normal and clammy to the touch. I looked around and noticed the grey light filtering in through my curtains. The rain dancing on the tin roof was music to my ears.

It was just a dream.

_So much for this shit not being in my dreams. _

That wasn't a dream- that was a damn nightmare. I sat on the floor wondering exactly what that dream could have been about. It scared the day lights out of me to think that something like that could happen.

I was brought out of my thoughts by Dad pounding on my door.

"Jake? Everything okay in there, Son?" His voice was muffled through the heavy wood.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, Dad. Everything's cool." I tried to shake the images of Jared's hands on either side of Bella's face from my head.

"Okay. Well, breakfast is ready." With that, he left me alone with my thoughts and wheeled back down the hall.

After contemplating the meaning of the dream and getting no where, I decided I would go get something to eat. Food always helped me feel better, even more so since becoming a wolf.

I sat at the kitchen table in my boxers, scarfing down a stack of pancakes while Dad stared at me wide eyed.

"What?" I looked up at him, chewing a mouthful of pancakes as syrup dribbled down my chin.

"Nothing. Is something bothering you, Jacob?" His brow furrowed and his nose scrunched up slightly.

"No. Why would something be bothering me?"

"You just ate three dozen pancakes and used a whole bottle of syrup." Was I really that obvious? This dream thing was really messing with me.

"Oh. Did you want some?" My mouth was full of another bite.

"No, no. It's okay, I already ate. Just uh, slow down some. I can't really help you if you start choking." Dad gestured to his wheel chair.

I swallowed the bite I had in my mouth and sat my fork down on the plate. Letting this - this thing, that wasn't even reality - get the best of me was not a good thing right now. There was a threat out there, and if I couldn't get past a dream, how was I going to deal with the bloodsuckers?

The only thing that I could think of to make me feel better at the moment would be to see Bella. If I could just see her and hug her, I would be content. I just had to make sure she was okay. I couldn't patrol with the others right now and not let these thoughts slip through.

I picked up my plate and walked it over to the trash to scrape the rest of the pancakes off before tossing it in the sink.

"What? Not hungry anymore? I was sure you'd clear the plate and eat two dozen eggs as well. Maybe even the horse out back." Dad raised an eyebrow at me before silently rolling himself into the living room.

"Very funny, Dad. We don't even have a horse." I called after him.

I waited until he turned the television on before I picked up the phone and dialed Bella's number. It rang twice before she answered.

"Hey, Jake. I was just about to call you. What's up?"

"Oh really? Any reason in particular you would be calling me? Maybe to tell me how dashing you find me?" I tried to ease my anxiety by joking with her.

"Haha. Sure, Jake. You're the apple of my eye, and I think I'd be the luckiest girl around if you would go with me to the Sadie Hawkins dance. Please say yes. I'm begging here." Her voice was laced with mock genuineness.

"I don't know, Bells. I may have to think about it. I've had quite a few offers...Do you really think I should pick you? What's in it for me?" Joking with Bella this way was easy. It felt right and took away most of my anxiety. Most, only because it wouldn't be completely gone until I could see her and touch her and know she was okay.

"A lifetime of servitude up on the table. Take it or leave it. Time's a'wastin here Jakey Poo."

"Hmm...a lifetime of Bella Swan as my slave...I guess that's doable."

"What do you mean 'you guess'? I'll have you know I'd make a great slave!"

"Sure, sure. How about for your first duty as my slave, you come over and clean my room? Dad's having a cow that it's such a mess and with being a rez super hero and all, I don't have time to busy myself with such petty things."

"Fine, but I'm not doing your laundry. Doing Charlie's is enough. Men are just...gross." I laughed as I pictured her shuddering at the thought of doing my laundry.

"So, when do you want to come over?"

"Uh, I'm not working today; do you have patrols?"

"Not this morning. I'm not feeling that well, so I'm not going. Want to come over now?"

"Cool. Give me thirty minutes, and I'll be there."

"Sure, just uh..be careful. Can't have anything happening to my lifetime slave before she even starts, you know?" The thought of her out on the road alone was causing the anxiety to return. I tried to keep in mind that within half an hour she'd be here and all would be okay.

"Always, Slave Keeper." She laughed. "Bye, Jake."

"Bye, Bells."

As soon as the line clicked, I dialed Sam's number to tell him I wouldn't be patrolling this morning.

"Why not, Jacob? Is something wrong?"

"No, no. Dad said he wanted me to clean up around here today. The clutter is getting a little out of hand and he's not able to do it himself. He doesn't want the neighbors to think they live next to hillbillies or something."

"It can't wait til later? What is it with you guys today? Paul isn't able to make it either, something about him and his mom having to do stuff, too." His words hit like a shot to the gut. That was coincidental with my dream, but I tried to shake the images from my mind.

"Not sure, but I'll be by there later. You're still meeting with the council after a while, right?"

"Yeah, just be here around lunch time if you can. We'll let you know how things went on patrol and I'll fill you all in on what the council says."

I hung up the phone and went to my room to pick up some before Bella came over. I didn't want her thinking I was a complete slob since I had been unable to clean it as of late.

Twenty minutes, a load of laundry in the wash, and one clean room later, Bella's trucked roared into the drive. I went out to meet her before she could even climb out.

Scooping her into a hug, I held her close to me while I closed my eyes and just inhaled the all-too familiar scent of Bella.

"Need...air...must...breathe," All of her words were muffled in my chest as she slapped at me with her tiny hands. Her arms were locked at her sides so she was only able to hit me on my hips. Laughing at her vain attempts to hurt me, I set her down on her feet, but kept an arm around her shoulders as I led her inside the house.

"Thanks, I kinda need air to live, you know."

"I don't know...if you ask me, I think the whole air thing is pretty over-rated. I mean, I could breathe for you if you want." I wiggled my eyebrows at her as she rolled her eyes and slapped me across my chest.

"Ha ha, I'll keep that in mind, but I think for now I'm good to breathe on my own."

"Suit yourself. What did you want to do today?" I asked as we headed for the kitchen to grab some chips and sodas.

"Doesn't matter to me really. What did you want to do?" I handed her a warm soda from beside the fridge.

"Not sure. Do you want to go to the beach later? Maybe cliff diving?"

"Cliff diving? Who are you and what have you done with my Bells?" I ruffled her hair and stepped back as she took another swing at me. "I need to finish the repair on that drive shaft for Mr. Ateara, but I should be free after that."

We walked out the back door towards the garage. It was beginning to drizzle and Bella's hair was starting to slightly frizz. The way the small hairs curled when the drops of water hit them made her that much more beautiful to me.

"Very funny. I just figured you owed me since you promised you'd take me sometime." She pulled her hair around to the side of her face as I pushed the door to the garage open for her to enter. "Ugh, my hair is a mess. I hate when it starts to frizz out like this."

"I think it's nice looking, even with the little horns you have now." I fingered the tiny curls that had formed near her forehead.

"You would. So, how much more do you have to do on that thing?" She asked as she sat down on the ragged old couch next to where I was working.

"Well, when I was taking out the broken one I damaged a seal, so I have to fix that and stick the new one back in. It shouldn't take too long." I lay back on the creeper and wheeled underneath the car.

"Wow. Should I find another mechanic for when the truck falls apart? I don't want you to mess it up anymore than it already is."

"Sure, sure, but I doubt you'll find anyone willing to fix it for free. Hey, can you hand me that wrench by your foot?"

"Which one is the wrench?" Bella giggled. I wheeled back out from under the car.

"Seriously? You've spent all these months with me in the garage, and you still don't know what a wrench looks like? Typical girl." I tsked as I reached for the wrench, but Bella grabbed it and jumped off the couch before I could get to it.

"What was that?" She raised her eyebrows at me as I stood.

"What was what?" I walked towards her as she backed up and kicked a coffee can full of nuts and bolts.

"Typical girl? What is that about, huh?" She hid the wrench behind her waist as she bumped into the work bench.

"Nothing, just stating that you lose five years because you don't know what a wrench is. That makes you what, like twenty-three?" I kept advancing towards her until I had her pinned between the work bench and myself.

"And you're still forty-eight? Getting up there, aren't you?" The air seemed to thicken around us as I looked down at her dark brown eyes. There was a hint of something there, something I hadn't seen from Bella before. It resembled what I think _want _would look like.

"Like I've said before, age ain't nothin' but a number." Her lips, all soft and pouty looking were pulling me closer. It was as if they were whispering to me- _kiss me, Jacob._ I leaned down, resting my forehead against hers. Bella's tongue snuck out and made a slow yet steady path across her bottom lip.

"Jake." Her eyes began to close, and she leaned her body into mine. I could feel the softness of her everywhere. Her breathing was shaky as it swept across my face.

"Bells, just say the word."

"Jake, I... plea-" Bella's phone began ringing, breaking us from our little moment. I backed away from her as she reached in her pocket to retrieve the phone.

"Seriously, Bells? _Funky Town? _Didn't really picture you as the Alvin and the Chipmunks type of girl. I had you pegged all wrong." She stared at her phone as _Funky Town _continued to play. "What is it, Bella?"

"Nothing, I just don't understand why Sam would be calling me." My body tensed at her words. Things were getting to be a little weird here lately and I, even though I'm a teenaged werewolf in Washington, am not a fan of weird.

"_Sam called and said you were hurt..." _Bella's words from my dream rang too loudly in my ears. Why would Sam be calling Bella?

"Give me your phone."

"What? Jake, why?" Bella looked at me confused as the music from her phone continued to play. Not giving her an answer, I grabbed the phone her hand and opened it.

"Hello."

"Oh, hey, Jake. Is Bella around? This is her number, right?" The voice on the other end of the line sounded surprised.

"Emily? What are you doing with Sam's phone?" I paced back and forth around the garage, letting some of the tension leave my body as Bella watched me, looking slightly peeved.

"I could ask you the same thing about Bella's. Is she around?"

"Maybe, what do you need?"

"Really, Jake? Twenty questions isn't really a game I like playing."

"Come on, Jake. Give me my phone back." Bella called from behind me. I turned around just in time to see her stamp her foot.

"Really, Bells? Stamping your feet? Kinda childish don't you think? I think you lost a few more years for that one."

"Yeah, cause taking my phone away isn't childish. I think you lose some years for that, too. Just give me the..." she struggled to get the phone from my hands as I lifted it above my head, "phone. Jacob!"

"Okay, okay!" I conceded once she pinched the skin on the back of my arm and twisted it. "Here, just stop pinching me already." I handed her the phone and rubbed the patch of skin she had just pinched. Being a werewolf had it's perks, but fending off the onslaught of Bella's fingers wasn't one of them. That shit hurt.

"Oh, hey Emily...Yeah, yeah things are fine. No, he was just being a pain. You know how that goes... Sure, sure, I can come by there. When did you want me?... .Now's fine... Okay, be there in a min-... yeah, I think I can _pinch_ him into coming with me... see you then. Bye." Bella hung up the phone and turned to look at me.

"What was that all about?" she asked as she put her phone back in her pocket.

"Nothing, I just have some things going on right now. What did she want?" I leaned against the work bench as Bella walked over to the couch and grabbed her soda.

"She asked me if I wanted to come hang out with her and said that Sam said you're supposed to go over there later anyway. So you wanna go?"

"Sure, sure. Just let me go throw on some shoes and let Dad know real quick."

"Okay."

I ran inside the house, passing Dad on the way to my room.

"Hey, I'm gonna go over to Sam's for a bit with Bella. When are you supposed to be meeting with him?" I stopped when I was in front of the television.

"Here in a little while. Care to move so I can finish watching the game?" He peeked around me to try to see the T.V.

"Sure thing, care to tell me what it is you're meeting with him about?" I continued to block his view.

"You already know _what _it's about. Can't really tell you the specifics yet. It's not my place."

"Sure, sure. Be secretive if you want, it's not like you're my dad or anything," I replied as I headed for my room.

"Not at all. I've always wondered if you weren't the milk man's kid," he hollered after me, causing me to shake my head and sigh.

Once I had my shoes on, I made my way back out to the garage. Bella was sitting on the couch, looking lost in thought.

"Ready to go?" Her head snapped around at the sound of my voice, a look of surprise on her face. "What's the matter, Bella?"

"Yeah, no. Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking." She stood from her sitting position and smoothed her hands down her thighs.

"Care to share with the group? And by group, I mean me." I gave her the smile I reserved solely for her.

"It's nothing," she replied as she looked down at my shoes. "Nice kicks. I have to say, I don't think I've ever seen you in flip-flops before."

"Funny. So, are you ready?"

"Yep," she said, popping the 'p'.

The drizzle had stopped, so we decided to walk to Sam and Emily's. The sky was still grey with the clouds sitting low across the horizon. I took her hand in mine, noting the size difference. Her hand was like a child's in mine, so small and frail. Our arms swung back and forth, and I loved the feel of being able to just enjoy little moments with her.

As we walked, I thought about what had happened earlier in the garage. I had wanted to kiss Bella for the longest time, but I wasn't totally convinced she wanted it. Sure, she leaned into me and even began closing her eyes, but I just couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't ready yet.

When we made it to Sam and Emily's house, we knocked on the door, and waited on the porch- still hand in hand- for someone to answer. Emily ended up being the only one home, so I felt a little out of place during their 'girl time'.

I sat in the living room, trying to watch the game, but couldn't help listening to Bella's laugh floating from the kitchen. It felt good to hear her laugh so freely; it was a natural, not one that was forced or faked. I couldn't help smiling to myself thinking _I_ had something to do with the change in her over the past few months. Each day things were getting better for her, and each day my hope that she would feel for me the way I felt for her grew more and more.

"Jake," Sam said as he came through the front door, "what are you doing here? I thought you had to help your dad with stuff."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I finished that up already. Have you gone to talk to the council yet?" Seeing Sam standing before me brought my dream to the forefront of my mind. I tried to hold down the anger that was rising up inside me.

_It wasn't real, it was just a dream. _

"Yeah, the other guys should be here any minute. We cut patrols early since I had to meet with them. I didn't want to leave Jared and Embry out there short three men."

"Good call. So what did they say? Anything helpful?" He walked over and sat down in the chair adjacent to the couch, sighing while running his hands through his hair.

"How much do you know about the powers some vampires possess?" He lowered his voice, most likely so Bella and Emily couldn't hear us. I thought about what he was asking and what it could have to do with whatever was in the woods yesterday.

"Not too much, I know that little pixie could see the future, and _he _could read minds. Why?" He glanced toward the kitchen and my gaze followed.

"Back when I was the only one phasing, I was out running patrol one ni-"

"Starting without us, are you?" Paul chided as he came through the front door with Embry and Jared right behind him.

"Good, yall are just in time. Emily? Can you get the guys something to drink?" Sam called towards the kitchen. Embry sat on one side of me on the couch while Paul took the other side and Jared leaned against the wall.

"Sure thing, is lemonade okay?" Emily called from the kitchen.

"Sounds great," Sam called back to her.

"Just a minute guys." I got up and made my way towards the kitchen. "Hey Emily, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Are you going to ask me a million questions again?" She smiled at me from over her shoulder as Bella giggled next to her.

"Not a million, just one." I shrugged as I stuck my hands in my pockets.

"Okay."

She set the pitcher of lemonade down on the counter and came over to the doorway out of ear shot of Bella.

"Do you think you can take Bella down outside or something while we talk in the living room?" I asked in a low voice, hoping not to raise any suspicion from Bella.

"Sure, Jake. Anywhere in particular?" She gave me a quizzical look.

"Not really, it's just that...I don't want her to get scared by whatever information Sam is going to share with us." I hung my head when she gave me a knowing look.

"You haven't told her yet, have you?" I hated keeping things from Bella, but I didn't want her to be scared before _I _even knew what was out there.

"No, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell her either. I plan to, I just...I want to be sure what we're dealing with before I scare the crap out of her." Emily pursed her lips and gave me a look that expressed her irritation with me.

"Fine. I'll take her out back and show her my garden. It's nothing spectacular, but it should keep us busy for a few minutes."

"Thanks, Em, you're the best." I gave her a bright smile that she simply rolled her eyes at.

"I am, aren't I?" She winked as she went to help Bella carry the glasses of lemonade into the living room. I made my way back over to the couch and took my seat in between Embry and Paul once again. A minute later, Bella and Emily came out of the kitchen with their hands filled with glasses for all of us.

"Oh, hey, B. I didn't realize you were here." Embry piped up next to me.

"Hey Embry. Yeah, I came over with Jake to see Emily." They sat the glasses on the coffee table. "Well, I guess I'll see you all in a little bit. We're going out to look at the garden." Paul and Jared chuckled at the look of fake enthusiasm on her face.

"Cool, I guess I'll see you in a bit, then," Embry replied. What was his deal? What was his sudden interest in Bella about? And 'B'? What was that about? I glared at him out of the corner of my eye, a growl building in my chest. The guys all looked at me with questioning looks while Bella and Emily made their way toward the kitchen once again.

"Bye, Jake," Bella called, giving me a small wave over her shoulder. I smiled to myself, full of pride that she had addressed _me _personally.

"Later, Bells." And then they were gone.

"Okay, so if you're done with making googly eyes at your _friend, _can we get started now?" Sam asked.

"Sure thing," I replied, picking up a glass of lemonade, still smiling.

"Alright. So we're all aware of the strange incident of yesterday. I've talked to the elders about it and they think maybe it's a vampire with a different sort of powers." He watched all of us for our reactions.

"What do you mean a different sort? How many different kinds of powers can they have?" Jared spoke up. I hadn't looked at him until now, and as soon as I did, I began shaking violently. I clasped my hands together in front of me to calm the tremors that were wracking through my body. It wasn't that he had really done anything to me, it was just that the dream that kept making its way into every thought I had.

"I don't know, Jare, but the Elders say there's a such thing as a shield, one that can shield themselves from other vamps' powers mentally, or in some cases physically."

"Okay, so what is this leech, some sort of blocker?" Embry asked. I sat thinking over what he was saying. A shield? What the hell?

"That's what the Elders are thinking. When I was patrolling alone before any of you phased, I was out one night and came across a scent. It was the same scent we came across the other day. I didn't know exactly what it was, but knew it was some sort of vampire. I followed the scent, and it grew to the point of being almost unbearable. Before I knew what was happening, I was standing in the woods in my human form. _That _is what you saw in my head last night, Jacob." He gave me a pointed look before continuing.

"Anyway, when I tried to phase back, I couldn't. I looked around, freaking the hell out because as far as I knew, this was unheard of. I remember turning around and seeing a figure in the darkness; he was pale and had blood red eyes so I knew he was a vampire. He stepped out of the trees and towards me but didn't seem to want to attack me. I tried over and over to phase, but I still had no luck. As quick as he showed up in front of me, he disappeared and I hauled ass out of there as fast as I could. I assumed he hadn't followed me because as soon as I was on the outskirts of the rez, I was able to phase back."

"That sounds a little far-fetched, don't you think?" I asked, not wanting to believe there was something out there that could keep me from protecting Bella. "I mean, come on, Sam, do you really think there is a vamp out there that could potentially _beat _us in this..this war or whatever it is?"

"I don't know, Jacob. What I do know is that what happened the other day is proof that there is something that could pose a bigger threat than we ever thought of before." The look on his face was one of seriousness mixed with fear.

"I have to agree with Jake on this one. Dude, there's five of us and only one of the weird hoodoo voodoo freak vampire out there." Paul chimed in.

"Does your cockiness always have to outweigh your common sense? _We can't phase around it, Douche Bag._" Embry replied.

"I'm just sayin', I don't believe _one_ measly ass bloodsucker can take the five of us down. Not all at once anyway." Paul added.

"Exactly, that's why we're all patrolling together from now on," Sam commented. I glanced over at Jared to find him deep in thought. He was picking at a loose string on the end of his shorts, seemingly not paying attention to the conversation at hand.

"Hey, Jared. What are you thinking about over there?" I asked, trying to keep my tone even. I still couldn't look at him without feeling like ripping his head clean off his body.

"What?" he looked up at me, "uh, nothing. I was just thinking about what it felt like not being able to phase. That shit was scary, Dude. I had never felt so helpless before in my life. It was like...like being trapped in a paper cage in an ocean full of sharks. There's no way to defend yourself and you're just a sitting duck really."

"Yeah well, I'll believe it when I see it. Or feel it, rather." I said, more to myself than anyone else.

"But you have seen it, Jake. You watched all of us phase unwillingly yesterday, and there was nothing any of us could do to stop it. What are you gonna do when it happens to you? What are you gonna do when none of us can phase and they come after Bella? That leech's scent was all mixed in with the red head's where we found it, so my guess would be that they're working together to get to her." Embry's voice rose as he spoke about Bella. I don't know why, but it was pissing me off that he held her with such... reverence. I was thankful more than anything that they were helping me to protect her, but really, weren't we protecting _all_ of the people of Forks? Did the rest of the people in the area matter to Embry as much as Bella seemed to?

"I'll do everything I can to protect Bella. Make no mistake about that."

"Okay, okay. Can we all calm our nerves here?" Sam looked at Embry and me. "So it seems there was a case like this back in our grandfather's time, Jacob. There was a leech that showed up a little before the last time the Cullens were here. Old Quil said that they cornered the vamp up in the mountains and that he was able to wrap his arms around my grandfather. When he did, he phased back to his human form. The vamp crushed most of his ribs and stuff, but anyway, Ephraim was able to take his head off, and they were able to take his body apart and burn the pieces after that."

"I don't get why they're calling it a blocker, though." Paul said, sounding slightly confused.

"I'm not sure, I think it has to do with their ability to block our capability to phase. I mean, think of it like this- they can't really be considered a shield because they aren't technically shielding themselves from us. They're more like...like an anti-shield if you will. They're exposing us and leaving us vulnerable in a way. That's all I got; that's the best way I can put it into words." Sam shrugged and dropped his head in his hands.

"So why not call it an anti-shield, then?" Paul asked.

Sam sighed. "Call it what you want, but I'm just telling you what the Elders told me." I didn't know what to think. There was a part of me that felt like they were making it out to be worse than it was, but another part, an almost bigger part, felt like maybe I _should_ be scared. Maybe this thing was bigger than us, in the sense that we wouldn't be able to defend ourselves against this and all make it out okay.

The front door opened with a thud just as Bella and Emily came strolling into the living room.

"Hey guys, are you done sharing secrets yet?" Bella asked as she came over and sat herself on my knee.

"Sure thing, now I have plenty to keep myself busy with as I picture you in nothing but your undies," Paul retorted.

"Ha ha. You're funny. So anyway, I think I need to be heading home here pretty soon." She looked up at me, trying to relay a message with her eyes.

"Yeah, I really need to get that...that drive shaft fixed for Old Quil. I should walk her back to the house anyway," I said, nodding my head towards Bella.

"Sure, go ahead and get out of here. I feel like lying down for a little while before patrols this evening," Sam replied.

"Mind if I come with? We don't all hang out anymore, so I figured maybe we could today." Embry spoke more to Bella than to me.

"Not right now. She's going home, and I'm not going to be much fun under the car. Maybe tomorrow or something?" I replied before Bella could make a sound.

"Oh, okay then. Yeah, maybe tomorrow. I guess I can go home and let Mom subject me to the home movies from when we were kids again. If I get the _Star Spangled Banner _stuck in my head again, I'm singing it over and over the next time we phase together."

I didn't respond to what he said. My body tensed and my hands curled into fists as my mind flashed to my dream for what felt like the millionth time that day.

Embry singing _The Star Spangled Banner_ in his head...

Me catching the tail end of something familiar again...

_Hey Emb, what's with the patriotism all of a sudden? Hiding something? _

_No, my mom was watching an old video of us from the Fourth of July when we were little. The damn song is stuck in my head. _

Bella glanced at me questioningly, obviously feeling the tremors as they shook me.

"Alright, well thanks for showing me your garden, Emily. I really will have to come try some of your home grown tomatoes sometime."

"No problem, Bella. Anytime you want, you're welcome to stop by. It's not very often I get a female to talk to these days."

We stood and began making our way towards the door just as Sam called from behind me.

"Oh Jake, are you going to be patrolling with us tonight, or are you going to have something come up again?" I turned to find him looking at me with a raised brow.

"I don't know right now. I have to see if there are Martians landing on the beach tonight and then let you know," I replied.

"Sure thing," he remarked.

As we made our way back to my house, Bella took my hand and laced our fingers together once again.

"Penny for your thoughts." She looked up at me. The sun was working on making an appearance, but was failing miserably.

"Hmm?"

"You're distant all of a sudden. Does it have anything to do with you shaking back there at Sam's house or whatever your secret meeting was about?"

"It's nothing. I...I just don't want to talk about it right now." I felt like shit not talking to Bella about what was happening, but I had too many things going on upstairs to share at the moment.

"Sure, sure. Well, you know you can tell me anything, right?" She squeezed my hand.

"I know and I will, I just...I dunno."

"Okay, well when you're ready, I'm here."

We walked the rest of the way in a companionable silence, never letting loose of the other's hand. When we made it to the house, Bella stopped and released my hand.

"Well, I guess I should let you finish up that car for Mr. Ateara, so I'll just go home now. Maybe we can hang out again tomorrow?"

"What? No, you can stay. I just didn't want...I wanted to hang out with you without everyone else around."

"Oh, is that why you told Embry he couldn't come over?"

"Yeah." I ducked my head and rubbed the back of my neck.

"I see. So Mr. Hoarder, what did you want to do while we 'hang out'?"

"Mr. Hoarder? That's the best you got?" I chuckled.

"What? That's what you're doing. Not letting the rest of the world have a chance to spend time with me, keeping me all to yourself."

"Sure, sure, Bells. You wanna go back out to the garage for a bit?"

"Sure, sure."

We walked around the house to the garage, with Bella taking her spot on the couch and pulling her legs up to her chest. I sat down next to her and sighed as I placed my hand on her knee.

"What is it, Jake? I know something's wrong because you're flicking your thumb nail against the side of your finger repeatedly." I was doing what? I hadn't realized it, but she was right. It was a nervous tick I got when things were bothering me.

"Okay, I don't want to keep things from you, but I don't want you to get scared, either. Just know that above all else Bella, I'm going to keep you safe and not let anything happen to you."

"Wow, what a way to lay to on me. Thanks, Jake."

"No I...I dammit." I let my head fall back against the back of the couch. "When you said you thought you saw me in town yesterday when it was raining, and I said that you had, that was true. My reason I gave you for being there was also true, but only because it seems that...well, you have attracted a new species or something."

"What are you talking about?"

"When we were patrolling yesterday, the guys came across the scent of the red head and another vampire. The thing is, when Embry, Jared, and Sam followed the scent, they- for whatever reason- couldn't phase. Sam says it's like an anti-shield or something."

"Wait, Victoria's back, again and with a new vampire?"

"Seems like it. So yeah, and then there was the whole thing of Sam trying to Alpha-command me into not asking questions and the dream I had last night...I've just had a lot on my mind today." I looked over at Bella, and she seemed lost in her own little world. "Bells, what's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, I was just thinking about the shield thing. I wonder if that's why... why _he _couldn't hear my thoughts." This surprised me. The bloodsucker could hear everyone's thoughts, except for Bella's? That _was _weird.

"So what was your dream about?" she asked, joining me back in the leech-free zone. I took a deep breath and held it for a minute before releasing it very slowly. She lulled her head on my shoulder while wrapping her hands around my upper arm.

"I dreamed that I was patrolling with the guys, but I was running late. I wanted to check on you, but when I got close to it, I could smell you in the woods. I didn't understand why. Then I found you standing there by yourself, and you were so scared looking. I went to you, and you clung to me and started rambling about Sam calling you. You said he told you I was hurt in the woods behind your house and Paul took you out there, but that I wasn't there and you didn't know what was going on. And then all of a sudden Sam, Paul, Embry, and Jared were there, and they told me to get away from you.

"Sam tried to use the Alpha-command again and this time I couldn't back down. I pushed you behind me and told you that when I gave you a signal, for you to run as fast as you could. Paul charged me, and Jared grabbed you and...and.."

"And what, Jacob? What happened?"

"He killed you, Bella. Right there in front of me. I couldn't save you. They had me pinned to the ground and made me watch the whole thing and I couldn't stop it. I couldn't protect you from my own pack brothers..." I hadn't realized it, but I was holding Bella to me the way a mother coddles a child to her chest. She didn't say anything for a while, instead just lay on my chest completely still.

After a while of holding her in my arms, she lifted her hands from my chest and pulled my face down level with hers. Bella looked in my eyes for what felt like the longest moment of my life before closing them and pressing her lips to mine.

At first I didn't respond- I sat there wide-eyed and shocked that _she_ had kissed _me. _After I realized what was happening, it took me no time at all to match her movements. Her hands reached around my neck, her fingers lacing into my hair. I cradled her face in my hands, enjoying the softness of her skin.

My breathing was ragged and labored while hers seemed to be nonexistent. She was holding her breath for some reason. All too soon, she pulled away. I felt her breath blew across my face and leave my lips feeling cool where hers had just been. I opened my eyes to find Bella looking at me questioningly.

"Um, okay. Wow, Bells, that was-"

"I have to go. I'll call you later." With that, she jumped off of my lap and ran out of the garage. I was too dazed to chase after her. I just sat on the couch, feeling more hope than I had ever felt before. Bella had finally kissed me. It was the perfect end to a completely bizarre day.

**:) Hope it turned out okay for you. -km3-**


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